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“For me, music is mind-altering,” said the 32-year-old pop hell-raiser Kesha. “It can force me into a better mood, or it can force me into a more introspective mood when I don’t want to go there.”
She hopes her new album, “High Road,” can do both, too. Out on Friday, it features a star-studded hodgepodge of cameos from Big Freedia, Sturgill Simpson and Brian Wilson (though not all on the same song). While working on her fourth album, Kesha said she often found herself blasting Queen (“on amazing speakers, to hear how the vocals and harmonies are mixed”) and perking herself up with the infectious energy of Cardi B, Lizzo and Ariana Grande: “Anything that keeps me from descending into an existential crisis first thing in the morning.”
She tracked her cultural intake for 48 hours in mid-January and called from Los Angeles to break it all down. These are edited excerpts from the conversation.
Wednesday Morning:
I was going to a photo shoot and on the way I was listening to “Nebraska,” my favorite Bruce Springsteen record. I know an unusually large amount of people from New Jersey, and I remember once having a conversation about Bruce Springsteen with one of them. Of course, I liked Bruce Springsteen’s hits and I respected him, and then someone was like, well, if you’re ready to have your mind blown, then you need to listen to “Nebraska.” And I did, and my whole perspective of him changed. I had a newfound love for him. Especially “Atlantic City” — that’s one of my favorite songs ever.
That record makes me nostalgic for some reason, the same way that [Bob Dylan’s] “Nashville Skyline” does. I also had an interview that day, so I wanted to be in a genuine, soul-bearing kind of mood, and there are a couple of records that I put on to encourage honesty. Because when I listen to music that I really relate to, it can almost inspire me to be the most authentic version of myself.
Wednesday Afternoon:
At the shoot, I was really inspired by a lot of the designers I was wearing. There was an amazing Versace dress that reminded me of 1960s Palm Springs, and then there was a Delpozo pantsuit with this very powerful silhouette, and a Thierry Mugler vintage-future look that was almost like “Barbarella.” I love fashion because I find it to be walking art. You put it on and it can inspire you to feel a certain way.
When I was leaving someone sent me this video of Nikki Tutorials, an amazing woman who does makeup on YouTube. I’ve been watching her stuff for years. In this video she came out as transgender. It was so brave and inspiring — it gave me full-body chills and made me cry. I’m always out there saying, “Be yourself!” but anytime I see someone else truly being themselves and seeming so free, it inspires me to continue being that way and to practice what I preach.
Wednesday Night:
That night I went to the premiere of “Color Out of Space,” the new Nicolas Cage movie. It’s based on an H.P. Lovecraft short story. I loved it. I’m obsessed with anything that’s about space. It’s the final frontier of magic. And there were also some wonderful themes in the movie about how the beautiful things or the things you chase in life can kill you if you don’t watch out. For me, that was a metaphor for fame. If you chase fame or money or success or power without ever checking in on yourself, it can lead to your demise. [Laughs] So that’s what I took away from the movie!
I had also been wanting to meet Nicolas Cage. We’ve been friendly for a while, but that was the first time we actually got to meet. He’s everything you imagine, and more. He’s just wildly funny, incredibly charismatic, super kind and so talented. Sometimes I’ve had experiences where I’ve been like, “Do not meet your idols,” but this was definitely the opposite of that. I’ve always wanted to meet certain people that come across as strange, unique, interesting individuals, and I was not disappointed.
On the way home I watched the most recent “Colbert.” Especially now with the impeachment, I like to try to stay as informed as possible without being completely consumed. I try to check The New York Times website a couple times a day, and [“Colbert”] is a nice way to consume information that also adds some humor. If you can’t laugh at things, you’re [expletive].
Thursday Morning:
The next day I woke up and then went to work out. When I do Pilates I usually don’t listen to music, but if I go on a bike ride or runs or even just a walk around the block I do listen to music, and I’m so into the new Selena Gomez record, [“Rare”]. It makes me happy. I love listening to women who have been through things but come out still fully badass. I can especially relate to people who have to go through things publicly and then get to put out music that reclaims their power, positivity and strength. And I very much feel like that’s what I’m doing on my new record, so I have a lot of love for other women who do that.
Then I went to the photo shoot [for this piece] at an interactive art space called Flutter. I just loved it. There was one room that was completely covered in blue fake fur. Every single thing: The floor, the walls, there as a toilet, a bathtub, all covered in this fur. It reminded me of some kind of weird Dario Argento movie. Very trippy.
And then another one of the rooms was covered in depictions of women. Different takes on what a woman feels like she is or looks like, her essence. I really liked that, because I saw myself in some of them. The artist, Katie Stout, had made a statue of this tigress with wings and golden eyes. I related very much to that, because that’s what I feel like I am. I don’t feel like the quintessential woman, I feel more like some sort of mystical tiger being. [Laughs]
Also at the photo shoot, there was this Helmut Newton book that I ended up buying called “Pages From the Glossies.” I love to look at something like that before I do a photo shoot because it reminds me to try to be as cool-looking as possible.
Thursday Afternoon:
Then I went to the La Brea Tar Pits. I’m just obsessed with them — they’re naturally occurring tar pits that are in the middle of Los Angeles. They were a staple from my childhood and it gives me that nostalgic feeling of being a kid, because there are all these sabre-toothed tiger animatronic things in the museum, and I just am a sucker for anything like that. I love animatronic things. I’m like a 32-year-old 5-year-old.
Then I came home briefly to feed my cats. I’m rewatching “Twin Peaks” for like the fourth time, so I watched an episode of that while I was cleaning up my house. And then I just started “The Morning Show.” I’m pretty A.D.D. so I’ll watch one episode of something while I’m cleaning, and then one episode while I’m putting my clothes away. It seems like a really interesting and relevant show, and I also love all the actors and actresses in it.
Thursday Night:
I went with some friends to see my boyfriend D.J. I love listening to music on vinyl. It’s how I grew up listening to music, and nostalgia is my favorite drug. I requested Hot Chocolate, “Every 1’s a Winner” [starts singing]. I love that song. Also a song by Suicide. I heard a lot of different songs that night, but those were my requests.
And then I just came home and I was reading a little bit before I fell asleep. I’m rereading this Iggy Pop book called “Total Chaos.” I’m obsessed with Iggy Pop. There are certain people that I just look to for everything, and he’s definitely someone who shaped the music I make and my perspective on the world and life and performance. It’s more like a coffee-table book, you can open it to any page and just read a little bit. And then I fall asleep with one of my favorite humans. I’m talking about Iggy Pop, not my boyfriend [laughs]. He wasn’t home yet, so I had to find my other boyfriend.
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